Rigidized panels



y 1964 H. E. VOEGELI 3,133,795

RIGIDIZED PANELS Filed Nov. 30. 1960 FIG. 1

INVENTOR.

HENRY E. VOEGELI BY 2.4, gm, lmm, 3444M "III Z 1 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,133,795 RIGIDIZED PANELS Henry E. Voegeli, Cheshire, Conn., assignor to Anaconda American Brass Company, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 30, 196i), Ser. No. 72,754 4 Claims. (Cl. 29-480) The invention relates to rigidized panels for architectural uses and the like and, more particularly, to a panel formed with a unique pattern of continuously connected elongated raised portions which provide improved resistance to bending and other distortion of the panel.

Since fiat sheets and panels are often unsuitable for certain architectural uses due to their susceptibility to bending, various patterns of bosses, corrugations, and other raised portions are sometimes formed in such articles to render them more rigid. The present invention improves over conventional rigidized panels of this type in that itprovides a pattern in which the raised portions areso arranged to achieve maximum rigidity against bending stresses.

Broadly stated, the rigid panel of the invention comprises a sheet formed with a network of non-rectilinear elongated raised portions. Each elongated raised portion consists of a plurality of rectilinear segments continuously connected end-to-end at right angles to the adjoining segments. This network of raised portions defines a plurality of fiat separated uniformly shaped multi-sided surfaces. The term multi-sided as used herein defines a surface having more than four sides.

In a particularly advantageous form of the new panel, the above-mentioned network consists of a plurality of regularly repeated patterns of certain adjoining segments from two of the elongated raised portions, each pattern consisting of two equal-length crossed segments taken from the associated two raised portions and bisecting each other at right angles to define quadrants. Intermediate segments extend at right angles from the respective outer ends of the two crossed segments into the respective quadrants. These intermediate segments have a length less than one-half that of the crossed segments. Linking segments extend at right angles from the respective outer ends of the intermediate segments into the quadrants associated therewith, and each linking segment is connected to the outer end of a similar intermediate segment of an adjacent pattern.

This new arrangement of raised portions on a rigidized panel has been found to achieve much greater resistance to bending than the conventional designs and patterns of raised portions commonly employed. The rigidized sheets and panels presently available characteristically include separate discontinuous raised portions, or interconnected raised portions which define either simple rectangular flat areas or complex flat areas of different shapes and sizes bounded by edges which are not uniformly at right angles to one another. The precise technical reason for the improved performance of the new design in resisting bending has not been specifically determined but it seems that its superior rigidity is principally due to the fact that the segments of the elongated raised portions are rectilinear and connected at right angles and also that the flat surfaces defined thereby are separated, uniformly shaped, and have more than four sides. Substantial departure from these features of the present structure results in a marked reduction in the rigidity of the article.

To a large extent, the increased rigidity of the new panels also results from the fact that all segments of every elongated raised portion are projected along co-ordinate axes of the panel in a regularly repeated uniform arrangement, and thus there are no dominant lines of bending weakness extending through any part of the panel. In this regard, it is to be noted that a straight line projected across one of the new panels intersects all segments of the raised portions at the same angle and passes through identical flat surface areas which are equal in size and shape. This combination of uniformity and complexity within a network of co-ordinate axes might perhaps explain the marked improvement in rigidity embodied therein as compared to known rigidized panels.

A preferred embodiment of the rigidized panel of the invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fragment of a panel having raised portions formed therein according to the pattern of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a metal sheet 10 is shown formed with a network of raised portions arranged in a new design such that maximum resistance to bending stresses is provided. The network includes one basic regularly repeated pattern which consists of a longitudinal segment 11 and a transverse segment 12. of equal length which bisect each other at right angles and substantially define rectilinear co-ordinate axes on the metal sheet. At the ends of the transverse segment 12, intermediate segments 14 and 15 extend normally therefrom substantially into the first and third quadrants respectively which are defined by the crossed segments 11 and 12. The segments 14 and 15 have a length less than one-half the length of either of the crossed segments. Extending normally from the segments 14 and 15 in a direction toward the segment 11 are linking segments 17 and 18 which have a length less than the length of the intermediate segments 14 and 15. Connected to the linking segments and extending normally therefrom are intermediate segments 15a and 14b of adjoining patterns. The segments 15a and 14b are in turn continuously connected to crossed segments 12a and 12b, and hence this design repeats itself across the sheet in a substantially steppeddiagonal arrangement.

Extending normal to the ends of the crossed segment 11 substantially into the second and fourth quadrants defined by the crossed segments 11 and 12 are intermediate segments 19 and 20. The segments 19 and 20 are equal in length to the intermediate segments 14 and 15 and have linking segments 21 and 22 extending normally from their respective ends. Connected to the linking segments 21 and 22 are intermediate segments 20c and 19d of adjoining patterns. The segments 29c and 19d are in turn continuously connected to longitudinal segments 11c and 11d and this design also repeats itself on a substantially stepped-diagonal arrangement across the metal sheet. A plurality of flat uniformly shaped multi-sided surfaces 23 are also defined by this network of projections.

Predominantly weak lines of bending on the metal sheet of the invention are non-existent, and therefore maximum rigidity against bending stress is attained, as a result of the raised portions being continuously connected according to the above pattern.

This new pattern may be formed in sheets of metal, plastic, or other materials suitable for use in rigidized panels. Also, while the panels serve principally for architectural purposes, they can have many other structural applications. The raised portions may be embossed on the sheet by being formed in relief on one side thereof with the opposite side either flat or similarly embossed. Preferably, however, the raised portions are rolled or stamped into the material of the sheet so that their mirror image appears on the reverse side thereof in the form of concave depressed portions. In this regard, it is particularly advantageous to cut the new panels from rolled sheets of indefinite length. Consequently, both the panels a and the sheets from which the panels are formed are within the scope of this invention. The various elongated raised portions may extend either diagonally relative to the centerline of such indefinite length sheets or they may extend transversely and longitudinally relative thereto.

I claim:

1. A rigidized panel for architectural uses and the like comprising a sheet formed with a network of nonrectilinear elongated raised portions, each elongated raised portion consisting of a plurality of rectilinear segments continuously connected end-to-end at right angles to the adjoining segments, said network of raised portions defining a plurality of fiat separated uniformly shaped multisided surfaces, said network consisting of a plurality of regularly repeated interconnected patterns each consisting of at least two cross segments taken from two respective elongated raised portions.

2. A rigidized panel for architectural uses and the like comprising a sheet formed with a network of nonrectilinear elongated raised portions, each elongated raised portion consisting of a plurality of rectiliner segments continuously connected end-to-end at right angles to the adjoining segments, said network of raised portions defining a plurality of fiat separated uniformly shaped multisided surfaces, said network consisting of a plurality of regularly repeated pattern each consisting of at least two crossed segments taken from two respective elongated raised portions, intermediate segments extending at right angles from the respective outer ends of the two crossed segments, and linking segments extending at right angles from the respective outer ends of the intermediate segments, each linking segment being connected to the outer end of a similar intermediate segment of an adjacent pattern.

3. A rigidized panel for architectural uses and the like comprising a sheet formed with a network of non-rectilinear elongated raised portions, each elongated raised portion consisting of a plurality of rectilinear segments continuously connected end-to-end at right angles to the adjoining segments, said network of raised portions defining a plurality of fiat separated uniformly shaped multisided surfaces, said network consisting of a plurality of regularly repeated patterns each consisting of two equallength crossed segments taken from two respective elongated raised portions and bisecting each other at right angles to define quadrants, intermediate segments extending at right angles from the respective outer ends of the two crossed segments into the respective quadrants, said intermediate segments having a length less than one-half that of said crossed segments, and linking segments extending at right angles from the respective outer ends of the intermediate segments into the quadrants associated therewith, each linking segment being connected to the outer end of a similar intermediate segment of an adjacent pattern.

4. A sheet of indefinite length formed with said network of non-rectilinear raised portions as defined in claim 3.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,481,046 Scurlock Sept. 6, 1949 2,858,247 De Swart Oct. 28, 1958 2,878,553 Hirsch Mar. 24, 1959 

1. A RIGIDIZED PANEL FOR ARCHITECTURAL USES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A SHEET FORMED WITH A NETWORK OF NONRECTILINEAR ELONGATED RAISED PORTIONS, EACH ELONGATED RAISED PORTION CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF RECTILINEAR SEGMENTS CONTINUOUSLY CONNECTED END-TO-END AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE ADJOINING SEGMENTS, SAID NETWORK OF RAISED PORTIONS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF FLAT SEPARATED UNIFORMLY SHAPED MULTISIDED SURFACES, SAID NETWORK CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF REGULARLY REPEATED INTERCONNECTED PATTERNS EACH CONSISTING OF AT LEAST TWO CROSS SEGMENTS TAKEN FROM TWO RESPECTIVE ELONGATGED RAISED PORTIONS. 